ALL SUMMERED UP...

Summer was back on the burner Saturday with toasty temperatures and higher humidity on full display. Smoke from distant forest fires was also evident by the hazy skies that ruled the day.

The one thing that was missing was rain. Since the start of September we've returned to the dry ways that have dominated my central and northern counties all summer long. At that Quad City International Airport in Moline only .09 inches of rain has fallen through the first 11 days of the month. Typically about 1.3 inches would fall over that period.

Since August 1st here are the departures around the region. While northern Iowa has been incredibly wet, the majority of my area along with southern Iowa and northern Illinois has been dry. The departures would be even higher were it not for a period of wet weather late August. That's when much of the rain fell up north.

That leads me to the latest drought monitor which continues to show abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions across all but my southern counties. Some spots west of a line from Cedar Rapids to Waterloo remain in severe drought despite several inches of rain in late August.

Conditions in much of my area near and north of I-80 have grown worse over the past week,

Where you see the orange and reds is where the driest conditions currently exist.

Here you can see the rain amounts from the past week along with the departures from mean. It was a dry week for most.